I have never had the urge to have children. And whether consciously or not, I've never dated people who wanted kids.<p>I don't know if my life is vastly different <i>because</i> of this choice. But I've always loved travel and exploring, and I suppose my experiences doing so are far more possible than folks who have families -- and who consider stability something positive. (Not all families are like that, of course.)<p>I'm in my late 50s now, and have been fortunate to be able to experience living in many places on both the east & west coast of the US, as well as Europe and other parts of the world. I've been able to easily move to a place, and just as easily leave, when the time feels right. I've also been able to put a lot of time into many community/volunteer projects, both online and off. Some of those led to burnout, but many were quite fulfilling, I suppose in the way that some people find children to be fulfilling. I've built a large network of friends around the world, and enjoy heading out to visit them. I also enjoy my 'base' in a quiet part of a rural US state, where I can exist with only the bugs & the birds.<p>I'll close with saying that, in a way, I also 'can't' have children, but not because of the usual reasons. I have pretty extreme sensitivities to noise, light, chaotic social situations, and the like. In talking to every friend who's a parent who's related their parental/family life to me, I know I'd be <i>so</i> incredibly overwhelmed that I'd likely abandon the situation -- which would be clearly bad for everyone. Hence, I've chosen the other path -- and it's a good one!